Telephone answering device

Abstract

A microprocessor controlled telephone answering device displays a message number and the date and time received for each recorded message as the message is played back. Other features include a cue function for selecting messages as they are played back. The answering device can automatically rewind back and locate a cued message to replay that selected message. Also, digital function codes can be transmitted over a telephone by a remote control unit to control a large number of answering device functions from a remote location. Additional features include the capability for easily entering a new security code into both the answering device and the remote control unit.

We claim: 
     
       1. A telephone answering device for receiving incoming messages, comprising: message counter means for assigning a unique message number to an incoming message and providing digital signals representative of the message number;   processor means;   recorder means having a recording medium which includes first and second tracks and means controlled by the processor means and responsive to the digital signals provided by the message counter means for recording signals representing an incoming message on the first track and the digital signals on the second track;   playback means controlled by the processor means, for playing back incoming messages recorded on the first track and for simultaneously reading back the digital signals recorded on the second track and transmitting the digital signal to the processor means while the message recorded on the first track is being played back;   a user manipulable input for designating a selected message number;   means responsive to said selected message number, for controlling the playback means to automatically locate on the recording medium the beginning of the selected message recorded on the first track which corresponds to the selected message number; and   means for replaying the message corresponding to the selected message number.   
     
     
       2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a user manipulable input for providing a playback signal, the processor means further having a memory for storing the message number of the first message recorded, and the processor means having means responsive to the playback signal, for controlling the playback means to automatically locate the beginning of the first message recorded and for replaying the first message. 
     
     
       3. The device of claim 2 wherein the processor means further comprises means for storing the message number of the last recorded message, and the processor playback control means is responsive to the last message number to stop the playback after the message corresponding to the last message number has been replayed. 
     
     
       4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a user manipulated input means for providing a cue signal, the recorder means being responsive to the cue signal for replaying a selected message, and a processor cue memory means for storing the message number of a message being played back in response to a cue signal. 
     
     
       5. The device of claim 4 wherein the processor means further comprises means for controlling the playback means to automatically locate on the recording medium in response to a cue signal the beginning of the cued message corresponding to the message number stored in the cue memory and to play back the cued message. 
     
     
       6. In an telephone answering device in which a sequential number identifying each message is recorded on an incoming message tape along with the incoming message, an apparatus for selectively playing back a selected one or more of the messages, comprising: message number storage means for storing selected message numbers;   first playback means for audibly playing back recorded messages;   switch means, operative by a user during message playback, for enabling the storage in the storage means of the number of the message currently being played back when the user actuates the switch means; and   second playback means operative when an initial message playout is completed, for selectively playing back a second time, only those messages having numbers corresponding to those stored.   
     
     
       7. A telephone answering device comprising: message counter means for assigning a unique message number to an incoming telephone message and for providing digital signals representative of the assigned message number;   recorder means having a magnetic tape which has a message track and a data track, for recording incoming messages on the message track and for recording the message number digital signals on the data track;   playback means for playing back the messages and message number digital signals;   a cue input for user cue input signals for the user to select a message being played back for later replay;   processor means responsive to the counter means, for transferring the digital signals representing the message number assigned to a particular incoming message to the recorder means to be recorded on the data track as that particular message is being recorded on the message track, said processor means further having a cue memory and means responsive to a cue input signal, for storing the message number of the message being played back by the playback means into the memory and means for controlling the playback means to play back the messages selected by the user.   
     
     
       8. The device of claim 7 wherein the message numbers are assigned sequentially to the messages as the messages are recorded, the processor means further comprising comparison means for comparing the message number of the current message played with the message number stored in the cue memory and control means responsive to the comparison means for controlling the playback means to move the tape back if the message number of the current message played is greater than the message number stored in the cue memory and to move the tape foward if the message number of the current message played is less than the message number stored in the cue memory, wherein the tape is moved to the beginning of the message corresponding to the message number stored. 
     
     
       9. The device of claim 8 wherein the digital signals are recorded substantially continuously on the data track as the message is being recorded on the message track, said processor means further having means for providing no modulation signal to the recording means at the end of a message for a predetermined period of time forming a blank on the data track at the end of each message recorded on the message track to mark the end of one message and the beginning of the subsequent message, said comparison means further having means for computing the difference between the message number of the current message played and the cued message number stored in the cue memory to determine the number of messages between the current message played and the message corresponding to the message number stored in the cue memory and the processor control means having means responsive to the playback means for counting the number of blanks on the data track as the tape is moved to locate the beginning of the message corresponding to the message number stored in the cue memory. 
     
     
       10. The device of claim 7 wherein the processor means has a second memory for storing the message number of the last message recorded on the message track and control means responsive to the playback means for comparing the message number of the message being played back with the message number stored in the second memory and for stopping the playback means after completion of playback of the message having the message number stored in the second memory. 
     
     
       11. In a telephone answering device in which message numbers are assigned sequentially and recorded on an incoming message tape as incoming messages are recorded on the incoming message tape, the improvement comprising: means for storing the message number of the first message to be recorded after the telephone answering device is enabled to receive and record incoming messages;   playback switch means for the user to initiate playback of the recorded messages; and   means responsive to the playback switch means, (1) for determining the difference between the last message number recorded before playback is initiated and the first message number stored, (2) for rewinding the tape, (3) for counting the messages as the tape is rewound, and (4) for starting playback at the beginning of the first message.   
     
     
       12. A telephone answering device comprising: message counter means for assigning a unique message number to an incoming telephone message and for providing digital signals representative of each message number;   recorder means having a magnetic tape which has a message track and a data track, for recording incoming messages on the message track and for recording the message number digital signals on the data track;   processor means, responsive to the counter means, for transferring the digital signals representing the message number assigned to a particular incoming message to the recorder means to be recorded on the data track as that particular message is being recorded on the message track;   playback means for playing back the messages and message number digital signals; and   a message number input for a user to input a message number of a message for playback;   said processor means further having a memory and means responsive to the message number input for storing the selected message number into the memory and control means responsive to the message number stored in the memory for controlling the playback means to move the tape to the beginning of the message corresponding to the message number stored in memory for replay.   
     
     
       13. A telephone answering device comprising: message counter means for assigning a unique message number to a incoming telephone message and for providing digital signals representative of each message number;   recorder means having a magnetic tape which has a message track and a data track, for recording incoming messages on the message track and for recording the message number digital signals on the data track;   processor means, responsive to the counter means, for transferring the digital signals representing the message number assigned to a particular incoming message substantially continuously to the recorder means to be recorded on the data track as that particular message is being recorded on the message track and for providing no signal to the recorder means for a predetermined period upon completion of the message so that a blank is recorded on the data track to indicate the end of the message recorded on the message track;   playback means for playing back the messages on the message track and the signals on the data track; and   detector means responsive to the playback means for detecting the end of message blank on the data track.   
     
     
       14. The device of claim 13 wherein the processor means further has a memory and means for storing the message number of the first message recorded and the message number of the last message recorded in the memory, said device further having a user input to provide a user input signal to initiate playback of the recorded messages, said processor further having means for comparing the message numbers of the first and last recorded messages to determine the number of messages between the last message and the first message, and means responsive to the comparison means, the detector means and the playback signal for controlling the playback means to move the tape back the number of messages determined by the comparison means to return the tape to the beginning of the first recorded message to begin playback. 
     
     
       15. The device of claim 13 further comprising a user input for the user to provide a next message input signal to skip the playback of a message, said processor having control means responsive to the next message input signal and the detector means, for controlling the playback means to fast forward move the tape in response to a next message user input signal until the detector means detects the end of the message so that the playback means can then play back the next message thereby skipping over the present message being played when the next message signal was inputted. 
     
     
       16. In a telephone answering device in which incoming messages are recorded on a first track of a tape and message identification signals are recorded on a second track of the tape with blanks on the second track separating message identification signals for different messages such that the blanks mark the end and beginning of adjacent messages, the improvement comprising: first means for determining whether the tape has been stopped in the middle of a pre-recorded message; and   second means, responsive to the first means, for advancing the tape to the end of a message when it is determined that the tape had been stopped in the middle of a message before the recording a new message is initated wherein the initiation of recording of a new message in the middle of an old message is prevented.   
     
     
       17. The device of claim 16 wherein the first means includes: detector means for detecting the blanks marking the end and beginning of adjacent messages, while the tape is moving;   flag means for indicating, when set, that the tape is stopped in the middle of a message; and   processor means, responsive to the detector means, for setting the flag when the tape is stopped while a blank is not being detected.